Written by: Bob Colling
Extreme Championship Wrestling presents Hardcore TV
Date: 9/26/1998
From: Philadelphia, PA
Matches:
1.) Spike Dudley defeated One Man Gang
2.) Masato Tanaka defeated D-Von Dudley
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Tommy Dreamer starts the show in the middle of the ring to talk about the departure of the Sandman to World Championship Wrestling. Dreamer credits the fans for spreading the word about ECW to their friends and they are going to the top thanks to them. Dreamer puts over Shane Douglas for returning to the ring when he shouldn’t because he wants to entertain the fans. This is a classy sendoff for Sandman as the fans chant for Sandman who is not in attendance. Dreamer leads the fans in drinking a beer in the middle of the ring for Sandman. As he does the Sandman pose, Jack Victory comes out to interrupt the segment. Victory says that Dreamer is an ass kisser. Victory talks about going through barbed wire and tables and never got a sendoff like that. Dreamer explains that Victory is a piece of shit. Dreamer decks Victory and attacks him until Rod Price runs out and double teams Dreamer. The lights go out and the Sandman’s music hits! It’s Justin Credible and he hits Dreamer several times with a kendo stick! Dreamer is held across the ropes and Credible whacks him over the back several times, just like in 1994. Nova and the Blue Meanie rundown to ringside to fight off Victory and Price. Credible leaves when Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten entered with chairs.
2.) Paul Heyman was at Queens, NY to talk the fans where he will hand three hours worth of Hardcore TV that hadn’t been aired in the market, apparently.
3.) We go to another scene of Tommy Dreamer and Sandman fighting off the heels from the first segment of the show. One Man Gang comes down to the ring and helps beat down Sandman and Dreamer. Gang splashes Sandman a couple of times. The same happens to Dreamer until Spike Dudley runs down and has a match with Gang.
4.) Spike counters a suplex attempt and low blows Gang before hitting the Acid Drop. Same old story.
5.) Early on, Bubba Dudley trips Tanaka from the floor to help D-Von hit a reverse DDT. D-Von bites Tanaka in the corner but Tanaka fights back with a few strikes. D-Von stops Tanaka on the middle rope to hit a neck breaker! Bubba taunts Tanaka on the microphone while D-Von uses a chair on Tanaka, who isn’t affected by the shots. A third chair shot manages to knock Tanaka off his feet. Masato hits a sit out slam and signals for the roaring elbow. D-Von moves the referee in the way and the referee gets hit with the roaring elbow. Bam-Bam Bigelow makes his way down to the ring as Tanaka works over D-Von. Bubba hits a side walk slam on Tanaka as Bigelow looks on at ringside. Tanaka counters the Dudley Death Drop by hitting a DDT on D-Von. Bubba accidentally splashes D-Von and Tanaka gets the win. (**. A decent outing between these two guys. It’s basically the same match with Tanaka it seems like.) After the match, Bigelow enters and begins to brawl with Tanaka. Chris Candido and Shane Douglas run down and attack Tanaka as well. The Triple Threat is beating Tanaka down on the canvas.
6.) ECW World Champion Shane Douglas cuts a promo on Taz. Douglas says that he isn’t going to let anyone take away the Triple Threat from him. Douglas reminds Bill Alphonso that Taz and Sabu hate each other and wouldn’t work together to take out the Triple Threat. He suggests the fans get their money back because there isn’t going to be a new Triple Threat.
7.) We hear from Justin Credible, Jack Victory and Rod Price to end the program. He says that a hero of theirs will be dead in Tampa tomorrow night.
Final Thoughts:
An average episode as it mainly promoted the Credible/Dreamer feud which seems to have been going on for six months off and on. The segment that restarted it was nicely done, though.
Thanks for reading.